Synopses & Reviews
PREFACE The present work the writers aim is to trace the growth of Christianity in its connexion tvith the gcncral history of the time, indicating thc lincs of thought, and noting the forces that made for change, but without any attempt to give an ex hitustive accou lt. For this reason the subjects are taken in a rougllly chronological order and since thc history concerns the gencral render as wcll as the student of Theology, the original languages are almost entirely excluded from the text, ancl only a fcw hooks are named after ench chapter for further study, In a vord, the work is a narrative, not a repertory of facts and writers on the facts likc von Schuberts excellent liircheng schichte. No attempt has been made to conceal personnl opinions. Thc mere annalist may be able to do it, but the historian cannot, unless hc accepts theories of determinism whieh turn Universal Law into universal nonscrlse by rcfusing to recognize the plainest facts of universal expcricnce. Lord Acton himself-and me have seen no more impartinli in our time-very plainly shewcd his personal opinions. Events, and still more men, cannot be understood without imagination and sympathy and imagination and sympathy involve opiriions . rvhich whether true or false can always be dia puted. Since then such opinions must of necessity colour the narrative, they are better frankly stated than silently taken for granted. Impartiality does not consist in a refusal to form opinions, or in a futile concealment of them under a lofty aEcctation of treating history scientifically, but in forming them by a single-hearted effort to realize the lives of men and think thcir thoughts again, and understand their whole environment. Ourpower is strictly measured by our sympathy. The dcmand of some that personal opiniolls should not be discoverable means the aboli tion of everything that can reasonably be called history or else it is the suppression of some other mens opinions-for these writera arc often far from reticent about their own. The writer has not hesitated to repeat certain passages of his earlier works, though never without careful revision. In this connexion he has to acknow-Iedgc the courtesy of tho Syndics of the U liversity Press, in allowing him to take for the basis of article he wrote for them on tbc Romnrl Empire as far back as 1889. Other obligations are too numerous and too intricate to bc enumerated but all books mentioned have been found useful, and mnny others also. It remains for him to give his best thanks t o his wife and to Jlr. H. P. Stcwnrt of St. Johns College for their cnrc in looking over the proof, nnd to Mr. S. R. Glover of St. Johns College for many valuable suggestions in addition. GRANGE OVER SAKD, June 28, 1909. CEIAPTER V TIIEK ERONIANP ERBECUTIO ., B xii CHURCH HISTORY CHAPTER VITI PAOB IIADRW AND TOHINUS PIPS . . 135 CHAPTER IX bl ncus A URELIU A B orrr2ius . . 150 CHAPTER X . 165 CHAPTER XI THE APOLOGIST . S . 174 CHAPTER XI1 CHRISTIAN LIFE . . 212 CHAPTER XII TUE CHURCHE A B N D THE CHURCU . . 277 CHAPTER I CHURCH HISTORY IX CRNERAL THE history of the Church of God is in its widest compass coextensive with the history of the universe itself. It reaches backward to the timeless state before the dawn of life, and forward to the timeless state where there sIlaJl be no more death. Thc fouudations arld the completion of the City of God arc not of this creation...
Synopsis
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.